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An autobiographical memoir revealing the traditional childhood, adolescence, and coming of age in Maasailond also documents the author's life on the plains of the Serengeti and his education and experiences as he journeyed to Europe and America

"The author of Maasai (LJ 10/15/80) now offers his life story: from his birth into a traditional society in Tanzania in 1949, through his youth, education in a mission school, and initiation as a warrior, to his career as a game park guide and ranger (subject of a National Geographic film, Man of the Serengeti); to his studies in Munich and Boston and at the University of Michigan (where he received an M.S. in natural resources), to his return home, to be received back ritually into his family. Although Masai life has been much described, this personal view is particularly interesting. Accessibly presented, this is recommended for area collections and any library where there is interest in culture contact or the black experience."--Elizabeth A. Widenmann, Columbia Univ. Libs.Copyright 1985 Reed Business Information, Inc. "An autobiography of a young man whose life to date has spanned the African veldt, the old world of Europe, and the hectic cities of America. We have already run across Saitoti, both in print (as author of Maasai) and on TV (as ""the man from Serengeti"" in the National Geographic documentary of the same name). In both efforts, the author documented the vanishing cultures of the people who inhabit the Great Rift Valley between Kenya and Tanzania. Now, Saitoti tells how he personally faced the challenges brought on by exposure to new ways and cultures. After a slow start, the author picks up the pace as he describes his feelings upon being sent away by his father to school--the only member of his family to be so chosen. . . . All in all, Saitoti's book is as interesting for what it tells us about ourselves as about him. Saitoti is no great writer, but the rare glimpse into a fabled tribe and a collision of cultures is worth enduring craft deficiencies."--Kirkus